French History
Human settlement Humans first settled in France at least 30,000 years ago. Gaul By 2500 BC, the Celts immigrated from central Europe to that region, and dominated it until Gaul (the name given to the land by the Romans) was conquered by the Romans led by Julius Caesar by 52 B.C. 5th Century In the year 451 AD, the region of Gaul was invaded by Attila the Hun who was opposed by the Roman army led by Atelius. The Roman war effort was assisted by the 20th century time traveler Tommy Tyme who held his own against Attila himself before returning to his own era. With the fall of the Roman Empire, by the late 5th century, Frankish king Clovis I had conquered much of the Gaul. Frankish Empire 8th Century In 800 A.D., Emperor Charlemagne, Frankish ruler of France and Germany, crowned Roman emperor by Pope Leo III. 9th Century Around 840, at his death, the Frankish Empire was split between three of his grandsons: Middle Francia (who encompass most of what would become Belgium) was ruled by Lothair, the east of the Empire became East Francia, ruled by Louis the German. West Francia (who formed the foundation of France, and included the northwest of modern Belgium) was ruled by Charles the Bald. Kingdom of France 10th Century In 987, Western Francia became France. 11th Century In the 11th Century, France was the home of the powerful magician Khor the Black Sorcerer. However, in the year 1245 AD, Khor was banished by his peers and found himself exiled to the Savage Land, where he lived for centuries. During an unspecified period during the days in which French monarchs decapitated their opponents by the guillotine, the Robe of Evil was possessed by De Signy, who was eventually executed. 12th Century During the Second Crusade in the 12th century, the crusader Bennet du Paris sought out the legendary Tower of Power, the domain of the mythic "Eternal Pharaoh" in Akkaba. After traveling for hours through violent sandstorms, Paris finally collapsed and a voice spoke to him, asking if he was willing to risk everything to become one of the strong. Paris was then tested and his mutant powers manifested for the first time. Proving himself strong, Paris disappeared from the spot. Nur had teleported Paris on his Ship and transformed him into Exodus. After capturing the time-traveling Sersi and the Black Knight, Eobar Garrington, who was being controlled by the time-traveling Black Knight, Dane Whitman, Nur commanded Exodus to destroy the Black Knight. Exodus refused and turned on Nur, calling him a "false god". However, Exodus was no match for Nur and Nur stripped Exodus of his power and sealed him away in a crypt in the Swiss Alps, trapped in a coma like state with a curse preventing Exodus from leaving, yet others were allowed to come and go as they pleased. 13th Century Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who believed that the christian God had chosen her to lead France to victory against King Henry VI's England. With no military training, Joan convinced the embattled crown prince Charles of Valois to allow her to lead a French Army to the besieged city of Orléans, where it achieved a momentous victory over the English and their allies, the Burgundians. After seeing the prince crowned King Charles VII, Joan was captured by the English Army, tried for witchcraft and heresy, and burned at the stake in 1431, at the age of 19. 18th Century In a black magic book, a thief found instructions for creating a time machine which run on electricity, but after robbing people in 18th century France and attempting to return to the 20th, he realized he was stuck in the past because there was no electricity in the 18th century. French Revolution The French nobility extravagance and lack of care for the populace led to growing unrest, leading to the French Revolution in July 14, 1789, which overthrew the monarchy of King Louis XVI, established a republic. Tourneau was chief executioner to Louis XVI. Having just instituted the use of the guillotine as a mean of execution (brought to him by the physician Doctor Guillotine), and Tourneau was captured as the Bastille was stormed and destroyed. Tourneau subsequently became the guillotine's first victim. As thousands were led to the guillotine during the French Revolution, Clan Akkaba was there to "sharpen the blade". Napoléon In 1799, General Napoléon Bonaparte became the new French ruler. He led his country in the conquest of much of Europe, including Belgium, only a few years after their independence in 1789 (who had been inspired by the French Revolution). He was finally defeated in 1815. Monarchy Restoration France returned to be a monarchy. French Second Republic and Empire Bonaparte's nephew Louis Napoléon became president of the Second Republic in 1848, proclaimed himself emperor a few years, and was eventually exiled in 1871. French Third Republic With Louis Napoléon's exile, the Third Republic began. 20th Century World War I France entered into World War I in 1914, allying with Russia against Germany during the conflict.During this period American super-soldier John Steele was active in the region. In his earliest recorded adventure he helped to rescue a French spy from German forces and returned her to his commanding officer. Sometime prior to the invasion of France the country was visited by Bill Waring who came learn swordsmanship as part of his training that saw him become the costumed hero known as the Challenger. World War II During World War II France was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany. In 1940, an unspecified French owned island was attacked by Nazi forces. Thanks to the assistance of the Sub-Mariner and Lady Dorma the Nazis were defeated on this front. Active in the region of France were K-4 and the Sky-Devils who battled Nazis in Paris, Magar the Mystic who brought assistance to French Resistance fighters with the spirits of Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington. American fighter pilot Benjamin "Red" Ruff, alias the Flying Flame, was stationed at Ruxiville Aerodrome and battled the Nazi pilot known as the Black Ace. Present during the Battle of Dunkirk was Lieutenant John Watkins, who was injured and left behind during the with drawl of British forces. Watkins was rescued by a French fisherman and raised back to health. Fleeing back to Britain, Watkins was covertly sent back to France as Citizen V to assist in the French resistance during the war, he eventually formed the original incarnation of the V-Battalion. By 1941, various super-humans and costumed operatives became active in assisting France in the war effort. The Sub-Mariner along with his allies Luther Robinson and Lynne Harris came to France and battled Nazi forces here before ultimately pulling back. Captain America and his partner Bucky were also briefly in France while tracking a Nazi spy posing as British millionaire Henry Baldwin. The extra-dimensional hero known as the Vision also appeared in France, attacking a Nazi concentration camp to rescue outspoken German scientist Professor Bauer. The French territory known as Devil's Island was converted into a prisoner of war camp by the Nazis, who instilled the sadistic Pepo Laroc, a Frenchman who was loyal to the Nazis. Laroc's island was invaded by Captain America and Bucky, who liberated Allied fighter pilot Tom Jason. In 1942, the Sub-Mariner returned to France with an army of Atlanteans to assist the Free French resistance, providing them with weapons and launching an assault of the Pro-Nazi city of Vichy. By 1943, Allied Forces were converging on occupied France to try an liberate the country. The Sub-Mariner succeeded in delivering information to the Free French resistance during this year. While the Destroyer assisted in freeing important members of the resistance from a concentration camp. The Destroyer also assisted resistance fighters in the town of Blanc near the Swiss border. In retaliation, Nazis operating in a French town of Brest constructed massive missiles that could cross the Atlantic and used them in an attack on Washington, D.C. until they were destroyed by the Human Torch and Toro. Captain America and Bucky also returned to the region to assist Free French gorilla fighters defeat the Nazi commander known as the Vulture. By 1944, the Allied Forces began to turn the tide against the Nazi occupation of France. The Destroyer assisted the Allied Forces in leading a Nazi battalion into a trap set in the town of Chapelle , while a Nazi attempt to build a tunnel from France to England under the Channel by General von Savage was stopped by Captain America and Bucky. The Young Allies were briefly captured by the Nazis in France, but were liberated by the Free French resistance. They managed to recover arms from the ruins of the Maginot Line and provide them to the resistance before returning to the United States. In June of 1944, American soldiers Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak were active in the region, clashing with Nazi forces. Earlier in that month they helped Allied forces fight through the Siegfried Line. Between June 11th and 12th of that month they sabotaged a number of V-2 Rockets ruining the full blunt of the Nazi's assault on Britain. In the town of Vichy, the Nazis attempted to maintain control of the population by playing into their superstitions. They dressed up the local inmates of a mental institution as an army of Gargoyles. This plot was also foiled by Captain America and Bucky. In August of that year, Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak were back in the region fighting Nazi forces. With the assistance of the Crazy SUES, the Invaders and the Young Allies, the Allied Forces helped liberate France in August of 1944. Also during this time, Combat Casey and Penny Pennington were active in the Cherbourg Peninsula of Normandy where they assisted in moving supplies into France. In 1945, a test of newly built allied rockets was to be tested in France. When Nazi spies attempted to steal these plans, they were stopped by the Patriot. Ultimately, France was liberated from the Nazis thanks to Free French resistance and the Allied Forces efforts. After the war In 1951, a member of the Undersea Titans came to explore the surface, appearing in Paris. When the creature's moisture dried out it became an inert in front of Eiffel Tower. It's fate is unknown, but it was likely forced back to it's ocean home or destroyed like other members of his race that appeared all over the world. Modern Age Superhuman Civil War During the enactment of the SHRA, many powered heroes and criminals decided to leave to France, including the Thing, who joined Les Heroes de Paris, and Daredevil. With a very reduced super-human population, the French government had to hire mercenaries such as Rapido or Peregrine to support the French Armed Forces in their task of repelled any superhuman clandestine refugees. A clash between the French Military and a certain amount of flying refugees happened over the Bay of Biscay, during which Peregrine battled Raptor. Fear Itself During the Fear, the attack of the Serpent, France, and precisely Paris, was targeted by Mokk (Grey Gargoyle). T-Cloud When Black Bolt confronted Thanos in hopes of preventing the Mad Titan's invasion of Earth in the search of his son, he unleashed a powerful attack that triggered a Terrigen Bomb and destroyed Attilan in the process. The resultant Terrigen Cloud released in New York City began to circumvent the globe, striking Paris and transforming Humans of Inhuman descent including Sasha Kravinoff's sisters. References Category:History Category:France